


Seventh Sleep

by doridoripawaa



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Biblical Scripture References (Abrahamic Religions), F/M, Fluff and Angst, Sleeping Together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2020-09-01 14:37:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20259709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doridoripawaa/pseuds/doridoripawaa
Summary: On the seventh day, the goddess ensured that the king rested.





	Seventh Sleep

On the first night after their honeymoon, King Dimitri of the Kingdom of Faerghus was unable to sleep. Although peace had finally befallen the continent, the price that he and his army had to pay was far too high. The ghosts of his past haunted his vision and were all that he could see, whether his eyes were wide open or he tried to flutter his eyelids closed and rest. His father and stepmother had the faintest features but the most imposing presence, while his classmates that he was required to strike down stood out vividly in his troubled mind. When Byleth asked the next morning about how he had slept, Dimitri merely shook his head and thanked her for being there.

On the second night, the wails of the damned kept Dimitri wide awake. Death screams and dying pleas echoed in his ears, and these pitiful cries were all that he could hear. Some begged Dimitri to save their lives; others begged him to spare them. Above all, the voices of his friends and family asking for revenge assaulted his ears and his fragile mind throughout the night, preventing any meaningful sleep.

On the third night, the metallic tang of blood filled his nostrils, drowning out any other scents. Not only his hands but his nose reeked of the foul, acrid stench. The stench of death, of eternal rest, kept Dimitri from his own personal rest.

On the fourth night, the mighty king could not stop shivering like a feeble child. "My dear, should I bring more blankets?" Byleth murmured, trying to find some way to alleviate his suffering. The king shook his head with a sad smile, ruefully informing his wife that no amount of covers could warm him from the inside, where chills raced up and down his spine as memories of his murderous, monstrous past plagued his consciousness.

On the fifth night, Dimitri's duties as king kept him away from the bed entirely. Meetings, panels, plans, and seminars occupied him from dusk until dawn. By the time he was able to return to his beloved, the sun was already in the sky and signaling the start of another restless day.

On the sixth night, Dimitri collapsed into his marital bed only to let out a dull cry of pain. His sleepless nights and busy days had finally taken a toll on his body; while he stood majestically before his people, with his broad shoulders and muscular physique, with his glittering eye and his silky hair, his cape and armor concealed from public view his many scars that had never completely healed. The mental scars had worn him down all week, and now his physical scars throbbed from fatigue. Even the king was only mortal, and Byleth's heart twisted in empathetic pain as Dimitri moaned throughout the night in his agony, once again unable to sleep.

On the seventh day of creation, the goddess rested. On the seventh night after marriage, the goddess would ensure that Dimitri rested, too.

* * *

On the seventh night, Byleth prepared to execute her plan. Tonight, Dimitri would sleep like he had never slept before. He would be so well-rested that he would sing praises to the goddess. Tonight, Dimitri's senses would not be swarmed by death and decay; instead, she would fill every one of his senses and fill his body with life.

As soon as Dimitri stepped into the bedroom, Byleth poked her head up from underneath the covers. "My dear, you're here!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Are you finished with your meetings?" Dimitri smiled softly, genuinely... but weakly. How long had he been suffering in silence? For the past nine years? The thought filled the somewhat hesitant Byleth with renewed determination. _I do not want you to toil tonight. _Taking a deep breath to steel herself, she carefully pulled the blankets back and stood up. Judging from Dimitri's wide eye and pink face that flushed deeper with every step she took, Byleth's plan was working thus far.

"M...my beloved... might I ask... um..." His uncertainty reminded her of his school days, such as when he first tried wielding a lance on horseback and fumbled over his words as he sought feedback and guidance from his caring and cute professor. "You look..."

Byleth took a quick glance down at her ensemble. The lace that lined her bosom and her rear may have been a bold choice, but Manuela and Dorothea insisted that this was the perfect attire for her plan. Maybe the fishnets wrapped around her legs were excessive, though. "Tonight, I want you to look only at me," Byleth declared with firmness that was equal parts confidence and force. "If I may be so bold, Your Highness," she added as an afterthought._ I do not want you to see ghosts tonight._

Dimitri stepped forward and tenderly brushed a strand of hair from his wife's emerald eyes. Her seafoam green locks almost looked like true ocean waves in this dim light. "My pleasure," he whispered, and he rubbed his hands over her wedding band. "Let's try to get a good night's sleep," he stated simply as the two of them walked into their bed.

Once Dimitri laid down, Byleth pulled herself up beside him. She wrapped her hands around his waist and pressed her chest against his chest, wrapped her legs around his legs, and nuzzled her head underneath his chin. _I do not want you to shiver tonight._ "Are you comfortable, darling?"

Dimitri once again fumbled over his words like a schoolboy. "M-more comfortable than I've been in-- goddess, what is that floral scent? It's divine."

Now it was Byleth's turn to blush. She honestly had tried to reject the perfumes that the ladies shoved onto her, but for the purpose of her mission, she had to plan her tactics carefully and make sure no stone went unturned. "You like it?" Byleth asked with sparkling eyes. "I'm so glad. I thought... I thought it would be nice to smell flowers and fruit even at night." _I do not want you to smell blood tonight._

For a few moments, the pair laid there in silence, enjoying each other's company. The rhythmic pulsing of Dimitri's heart against her chest could have easily lulled her to sleep. With a jolt, she remembered that her plan was not finished. She could not sleep just yet. Quietly, barely above a whisper, she began to hum. She had no heartbeat to offer Dimitri as a gentle lullaby, but she could sing psalms and hymns that could gently rock him to sleep. For once, she was grateful that she did not have a beating heart; the king certainly would have felt it threatening to thump out of her chest right now. Church hymns perhaps were not the best lullaby, but Dimitri did not seem to mind. In fact, when Byleth dared to take a peek upward, he seemed to be... smiling? Sincerely smiling? She could not help but smile too. _I do not want you to hear screams tonight._

When she looked up, she also caught sight of the scar that ran deep across Dimitri's right eye. Slowly, carefully, she shuffled her hug down his thick body until her head was level with his navel. She kissed the v-lines on his stomach, and he squirmed. "Does it hurt?" she asked softly.

"No... I'm just... s-surprised?" Did his voice just crack? Byleth stifled a giggle. Her big, strong lion was sometimes as delicate as a cub.

"How's this?" Byleth murmured as she kissed a small scar on his chiseled abdomen. "Did that hurt, or can I keep going?"

"Whatever... makes you happy, my beloved."

Byleth scowled. "Are YOU happy?"

She couldn't see his face, but she could tell from the quivering in his tone that he was blushing intensely. "Very much so. I hope that is not greedy of me."

Byleth kissed another small scar on his side. "Be greedy, your highness," she whispered. "The goddess will not mind. The archbishop said so." Smiling a little mischievously, she continued to pepper his body with kisses. Scars from Duscur. Scars from Edelgard. Scars on his face. She kissed each and every one, blushing and grinning as he let out little moans of delight._ I do not want your scars to ache tonight._

"I thought your hands were warm," Dimitri began as Byleth pulled back, taking a breath. He gingerly wrapped his hands around hers, and their wedding bands clacked together. "Your lips, however, are something else entirely."

It was a shame that Dimitri had lost his sense of taste in the Tragedy of Duscur, because Byleth was certain that he would have enjoyed the last kiss. She planted her lips against his, and his good blue eye grew wide. His gaze then softened and a twinkle appeared in his eye as he stared at the woman he loved. Her body was warm to the touch, her floral scent flooded his nose, her voice was honey in his ears, her beauty occupied his gaze, and if he could taste, he knew she would taste sweeter than the juiciest berry. "Thank you," he whispered when she was done. "My beloved... Thank Sothis that she brought me to you."

On the seventh night, Dimitri slept better than he had slept in nine years. Dimitri and Byleth finally rested.


End file.
